Jewish business ethics examined in new class

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute presents a new course entitled Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics, conducted by Rabbi Dovid Mintz of the Chabad Jewish Center in Frisco.

“The recent failures in the financial industry have drastically changed the way we think about business,” said Mintz, the local learning institute instructor. “At JLI we deeply believe that business should be a force for good, and that's why we're presenting students with timeless Talmudic insights into real-world ethical dilemmas.”

Money Matters discusses the personal ethics of bankruptcy and questions such as: After purchasing a ticket for a ball game, can you move to an unoccupied, higher-priced seat? If you ever have the money are you morally obliged to repay discharged debt?

Questions regarding topics in social ethics such as living wages, insider trading, CEO compensation, and collective bargaining are also addressed.

Money Matters is designed to appeal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship. Interested students may call (970) 476-7887, or visit www.Jewishvail.com for registration.

The six-session series is accredited for 9 CLE ethics credits and will commence at 7:15 p.m., Jan. 31 at the Chabad Center.

New Path announces first mutual fund

Colorado-based asset manager New Path Capital Advisors announced the launch of its first mutual fund, the New Path Tactical Allocation Fund (Ticker: GTAAX). The fund is based on New Path's Actively Managed Allocation Strategy which uses index-based exchange traded funds to seek absolute returns through a global tactical allocation process.

“A number of broker dealers and advisors nationwide have expressed interest in placing assets with us through a mutual fund vehicle,” said New Path president Ron Bristol. “The fund makes it quite simple for individuals to take advantage of our management style, either by investing directly with our fund or working through their advisors.”

For more information contact Ron Bristol at (970) 468-0654 or ronb@newpathadvisors.com, or visit the fund's website at www.newpathgtaafund.com.

FirstBank reports year-end financial results

FirstBank Holding Company, the Lakewood-based holding company for the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, recently reported an increase in income in its year-end 2011 financial results.

The company's net income grew to $158.9 million during 2011, up 7 percent compared to year-end 2010.

For the 2011 calendar year, FirstBank recorded increases for all its key financial measures. Total assets held were $11.6 billion as of Dec. 31, 2011, up 10 percent compared to the similar time a year ago. Total deposits also increased 10 percent to $10.5 billion and loans grew by 13 percent to $5.1 billion.

“Despite another challenging year for the nation's economy, FirstBank was able to deliver strong, consistent results in 2011,” said John A. Ikard, president and CEO of FirstBank Holding Company. “We are especially proud of our performance considering the changing dynamics of the banking industry in 2011. While new regulations prompted many banks to charge additional account fees, at FirstBank we chose to keep Free Checking. We also continued to increase our asset and deposit base, and grew geographically by adding locations in Phoenix, Boulder and Denver. Overall, it was a great year for FirstBank.”

New Path to work with CoreStates

Colorado-based asset manager New Path Capital Advisors announced a new relationship with CoreStates Capital Advisors, LLC, an investment adviser headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania. New Path will provide CoreStates with trading signals from its Global Tactical Asset Allocation model. CoreStates will make an initial allocation of $17M to GTAA from its alternative investment portfolio.

“Partnering with CoreStates in this way opens up a new line of distribution for our advisory services,” said New Path president Ron Bristol.

“New Path has provided investors with strong risk-adjusted returns through difficult market environments since 2007. Our relationship with New Path will provide our clients with access to a unique alternative investment strategy in combination with the operational integrity they have come to enjoy,” said Chip Bromley, head of alternative investments for CoreStates.

New Path manages or advises approximately $75M for individual and institutional investors.

For more information regarding New Path, contact Ron Bristol at (970) 468-0654 or ronb@newpathadvisors.com.

For more information regarding CoreStates, please contact Chip Bromley at (267) 759-5000 or wcb@corestates.us.